The Power of your Light
by Ivanhobe
Summary: During her final year at Noble Academy, Haruno Haruka is faced with an unthinkable challenge that threatens everything she loves. Luckily, an unexpected encounter leads to a miracle. A Go! Princes Precure / Ultraman Orb crossover.
1. Prologue

Prologue – A giant of Light

A vast, ever expanding darkness sprawling into the infinite, broken only by the eternal shine of the stars and the clash of two Titans, brawling into the ether.

One, a Warrior of Light, clad in blue, red and silver.

The other, a beast of darkness, crimson eyes devoid of anything but ill intent.

In this silent realm there was no way to know for how long had they fought, but it was becoming clear that this battle would soon draw to an end.

The dark beast opened his jaws lashing out an energy beam with the intent of finishing his adversary, but the light giant swiftly dodged and countered with an energy disc of his own which landed on his opponent, yet it remained unscathed.

As they both prepared for another clash, the silver giant suddenly hesitated as a ring of light on his chest changed from blue to red. Seemingly heeding this as a warning, the giant stopped for a moment as his body was enveloped by a bright light that, once dissipated, revealed a new body; now covered in black, red and silver while wielding a massive blade, the giant prepared for one final attack.

The monster, however, was determined to best its opponent, even if that meant taking it down with him, so as the light warrior used his blade to focus his own energy the beast charged against him, taking the giant by surprise, and unleashed his power in an attempt finish him. Not to be out done, the giant also released the power of his blade, a dangerous move considering how close they were, and the resulting collision of power was enough to knock back both of them.

The battle had reached a stalemate, but as the bodies of the two titans lingered in the cosmos, the giant's blade drifted through space, heading towards a blue planet.

* * *

 _"_ _Haruka-chan."_

She knew that voice.

 _"_ _Haruka-chan!"_

Someone was calling her name.

 _"_ _Haruka-chan, wake up!"_

Waking up, Haruka opened her eyes, shot up right, and tried to take in her surroundings.

She was now sitting on her bed, wearing her usual pajamas. She could see her desk to her right, her recently finished homework still on it, and further away the only window on her shared dorm room.

Speaking of, the other inhabitant of this room was standing next to her bed, a slightly worried look on her face, waiting for her to finally react.

"Yui-chan, good morning!" she said, perky as ever.

Nanase Yui, her best friend, confidant and roommate ever since she entered Noble Academy. Even now, on her last year in the prestigious school, they were still inseparable.

"Are you feeling alright, Haruka-chan?" Yui asked, a tint of worry on her tone.

Haruka looked at her, with lightly puzzled look on her face "Why wouldn't I feel alright?"

Yui contemplated her friend for a moment, trying to pick the best words "You seemed… restless in your sleep. I was a little worried."

"I am fine, Yui-chan." She said, cheerfully "I just had a weird dream, that's all."

"A dream?" she questioned, with some relief "What kind of dream?"

"Nothing much. I was just dreaming about… about…"

Odd.

She had just woken up and it had been quite a livid dream, yet the memory of it seemed to have escaped her already. There was one image in particular still etched into her consciousness though.

"Haruka-chan?"

"A giant."

"You were dreaming about giant?"

She nodded.

"Yes, a giant… of light."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Encounter

Noble Academy, a prestigious school known for embracing the ideals of nobility and refinement… among other things.

Currently, two best friends were traversing the halls of the school on their way to the student council room, making themselves busy with idle chat.

"Are you sure you are alright, Haruka-chan?" asked the bespectacled girl.

"I told you I am fine, you don't have to worry so much Yui-chan." Said the girl with the auburn hair.

Even though they were already in their last year at the academy, both girls had barely changed; Haruka had started to wear her hair a little longer, probably wanting to emulate her beloved senior, but the bun and the flower hair pin that had always characterized her appearance were still there. Yui on the other hand had started to wear a single ponytail, but she still had those unmistakable thick glasses that gave her the "Yui-chan look", as her best friend called it.

"Mmh… alright, but you should rest if you feel tired. You were up quite late last night working on the preparations for the festival."

"Don't worry," said Haruka "I can take care of myself. Besides, tomorrow is the big day so I have to give it my best!"

Some might say that Nanase Yui was being a tad overbearing, but Haruka knew better; she always had a bad habit of over working herself when doing something she was passionate about, so it was something of a relief to have Yui next to her making sure that she didn't push herself too hard. This became doubly true once she became the Student Council President.

That's right, as of last year Haruno Haruka had become Noble Academy's Student Council President. Honestly, if she could travel back in time and tell her younger self that she would one day hold such a position within the school she would have never believed her.

Actually, there were more than a few things about her future that she would have never believed back then, but this one was easily in the top five.

"President Haruno!" her train of thought stopped abruptly when she heard someone calling her.

"Oh, Kanae-chan, what is it?" she asked the black haired girl rushing down the hallway to meet her.

"Here's the updated evacuation plan for the festival." She did her best to catch her breath while presenting Haruka with a pink folder.

"Thanks, we need to get those approved," she said while looking over the contents of the document "and I told you can call me Haruka, you don't need to be so formal."

"Understood Pres- I mean, Haruka-san." The girl said, a little flustered.

"Yui-chan, can you take these to the chairman? I need to head down to the courtyard to oversee the final preparations."

"Sure thing, I'll meet you later for lunch then?"

"You got it!"

And with that, and after a brief goodbye to her friend and her junior, Haruka darted off to the other side of the building, leaving Yui to collect herself while she headed for the chairman's office.

As she walked through the administrative wing, Yui pondered about the contents of the folder currently in her hands; it read "Emergency Evacuation Plan for Unexpected Events".

Naturally, Noble Academy had contingency plans in case of fires or earthquakes, as any public institution in the country would, but history had proven that those were not the only kind of disasters that a school, particularly this academy, could face. So, shortly after she joined the student council at the behest of Haruka, Yui came up with the idea of contingency plans for "Unexpected Events"; basically, an emergency evacuation plan in case the student body were endangered by the presence of an "Unexpected" threat.

It might seem unnecessary and maybe even a little ridiculous, after all nothing had happened at the School ever since Dyspear's final attack a couple years ago. Still, she submitted the proposal (with the full support of Haruka, of course) and much to her surprise no one on the directive board had objected to it, in fact, some even praised the idea.

As proud as she was, she honestly hoped these plans never became necessary. The safety of the students was important, sure, but if such an event did come to pass, the truth was that there was no one who could possibly face it.

Minami had graduated and was studying overseas; Kirara was currently in France, following her dream. Towa had returned to Hope Kingdom, as its rightful Princess, and she had taken the Princess Keys that acted as the bridge between their worlds with her.

Only Haruka had remained at the academy, but being unable to become a PreCure anymore there was nothing she could do if they were to face such a calamity.

Yui knew that there was no point in dwelling on these matters, but she was sure Haruka had thought about it as well; every now and then she would catch her best friend staring into the horizon, seemingly lost in a daydream, but when asked what she was thinking about she would just say that it was 'nothing important' and wave it off.

She could never fool Yui though; they had been roommates for years now and to be honest, she often thought about the same thing.

That unforgettable year of their lives.

Their friends.

Their battles.

Fighting for everyone's dreams.

The five of them had been the protectors of Noble academy, even if she herself wasn't a PreCure.

Those days were long gone now and she was certainly grateful for the peace they enjoyed now, but she would be lying if she said that a part of her didn't miss the greatest adventure of their lives. One could only imagine how Haruka, Cure Flora herself, felt.

She stopped in front of the chairman's office and sighed.

' _There really is no point in thinking about this now_ ' she reasserted.

And so she knocked on the door.

* * *

Haruka had busied herself working on the preparations for the annual Noble Academy's festival, which would be held the next day. Everything was almost ready, they had been working on this for at least a week after all, but she still wanted to make sure that things were progressing as scheduled, even if her presence wasn't particularly required, a fact that did not went unnoticed by some.

"Haruno!" she heard the familiar voice of a young man calling to her.

"Oh, Yuuki-kun, good morning!" she answered noticing her old (relatively speaking) friend.

"Eh… good morning to you too, though it is almost noon you know."

"Well, morning is not over yet and good manners are good manners." She countered, enthusiastically.

"Anyways," he said, trying to change the subject as smoothly as possible "we have everything under control here, so aren't there more pressing matters for the Student Council President of Noble Academy to deal with?" His snarky tone did not went unnoticed.

"A little leg work has never killed anyone and I think it's important to involve myself on every aspect of the preparations" she said, with pride, as a lady would "Besides, Yui-chan is helping me with some of the paperwork."

"That poor girl. Sometimes I think you are just a figure head and Nanase-san is the real master mind behind the operation." Their friendly banter never got old.

"You say that but you still voted for me, didn't you?" she added, with a smirk.

"Yeah well, that was only because you- Haruno, is something wrong?"

Haruka had suddenly stopped paying attention to him and was now looking towards the forest next to the school. Just as swiftly she turned back to Yuuki.

"Did you hear that?" Her usual mood replaced by a more serious tone.

"Heard what?" he said puzzled.

"Someone… calling."

"Well, I didn't heard anything and there's no one over there. Are you sure you haven't just been in the sun for too lo-"

"There it is again, don't tell me you didn't heard it!" She said with urgency.

"Haruno, are you feeling alright? Maybe you should head back to the dorms." He tried not to sound too concerned.

"Yuuki-kun, take care of things here, I need to go."

"I really think you should- wait, Haruno!"

Before he knew it she was already heading into the forest.

* * *

She wasn't imagining it. She definitely heard someone calling her from this direction.

The forest that surrounded the Academy wasn't exactly a jungle, but it still covered a fair amount of ground and newer students getting lost in here was not unheard of. Luckily she knew her way around, more or less.

Still, there was something odd about the voice she heard. Actually, it wasn't much of a voice, it was more like… a melody perhaps? She wasn't sure, but for some reason she felt compelled to follow it, even if that meant heading deeper into the forest.

It had been almost ten minutes since she started searching and she had yet to find the source of the "voice", but something told her she was getting close.

"Where are you…" she whispered.

It was at this moment that she realized of something unusual; besides the sounds of her rummaging through the bushes, this part of the forest felt oddly silent. You can usually hear the sounds of birds or some woodland creatures playing in one of the nearby ponds, but this time the forest felt completely still, almost as if it were asleep.

And then she heard it again.

"Over there." she hurried towards source of the calling.

It was close, that much she could tell, so she jumped down a small creek and headed to what she believed was a clearing, but the closer she got the more she noticed something extremely peculiar; most of the trees around her appeared to be bent outwardly, almost as if something had pushed them back, and it was more noticeable the closer she got to her goal.

Haruka had seen, and lived, plenty of unusual things in this forest, but this one was one for the books; what she initially thought to be a clearing among the trees was actually a large depression in the ground, almost like a crater, and right in its center was an object she had never seen before.

At first glance it looked like some sort of big ornament, like a lance or a cross stuck on the ground; it was pretty big, almost as tall as her, and it seemed to be made of metal so it was probably quite heavy. The top part was mainly black save for a blue jewel on the tip and the rest was a combination of red and silver. The most distinctive part though, was a black disk with a gold rim in the center of the… sword?

Yes, upon closer inspection it definitely looked like some sort of sword or weapon, though a rather unwieldy one at that.

"Okay, I am gonna try to pull this out!" she proclaimed, to no one in particular.

Rubbing her hands before holding onto the 'handle' of the sword, she prepared to pull it out from the ground. At the count of three.

' _One_ ' she took a deep breath.

' _Two_ ' she tightened her grip.

' _Thre-_ ' before she could finish that thought the weight of the sword she was trying to pull vanished, causing her to loose balance, and a flash of light blinded her momentarily, which resulted on her falling square on her butt.

"I really hope no one saw that…" said she, while using her free hand rub her dignity.

' _Wait a second._ '

Realization hit her.

That huge sword she comically tried to pull out was gone and instead she was now holding… a dagger?

It looked exactly like the sword that just moments ago stood before her, but it was much smaller, probably no bigger than her old Crystal Princess Rod.

' _Where did you come from?_ ' she wondered.

Looking at it closer there were some odd markings on the disk that adorned the guard of the dagger. They looked like symbols, but none she had ever encountered before.

"Could it be… were you the one calling for me?"

The question sounded absurd, but something told her she was on the right track.

Unfortunately, that train of thought was stopped before it could go any further when she heard someone calling her name.

" _Haruno! Where are you?_ " someone shouted in the distance.

She quickly got up.

She wasn't exactly a fan of being caught up in embarrassing situations, after all.

Putting the dagger in her pocket she quickly headed towards the Academy and it wasn't long before she ran into Yuuki-kun.

"There you are! I've been looking for you all over!" He sounded a little angry, but then again, that was par for the course with him.

"Sorry, I took a… wrong left and got a little lost." There was no harm in a little lie.

"Yeah well, maybe next time you should listen to me and avoid running into forests while chasing Ghosts." He chastised her as they started heading back to the school.

"You could just say that you were worried, you know."

"Sure was, worried for my own skin. If something happened to you I would never hear the end of it from Nanase-san."

"Why can't you just be a Gentleman?"

"Why can't you just be a Lady?"

"Hey!"

They kept it going on and on until they reached Noble Academy.

* * *

"Let me see if I get this right: you were in the courtyard overseeing the festival preparations, when you heard a voice-"

"Or something." Her friend corrected.

"-or something calling to you. So you went into the nearby forest and that's where you found this dagger."

"Correct."

Yui stared at her while studying the object in question.

After they finished their activities for the day she had been dragged by an eager Haruka back to their room. She then started recounting her rather unusual expedition to the forest while dangerously waving a sharp object to her face.

"So you found this little thing right in the middle of the forest?" She asked while looking at the engravings on the hilt.

"Well, it was actually a lot bigger, almost as big as myself. I found it on the middle of this small crater but it shrank the moment I touched it." She carefully omitted the part where she compromised her dignity.

"And you haven't heard it 'calling' since you got it?"

"No, I've been carrying it with me all day and haven't heard it again. Although…"

"Although…" Yui followed her roommate's narrative.

"…it's been giving me this weird feeling. Like if it were listening to me." She concluded.

It was definitely an unusual tale.

Yui didn't doubt her friend, they had been through far too much together. Besides, there's was definitely something else to this dagger; it was small, you could almost mistake it for a toy, but it was actually very sturdy, even if it was almost weightless. The strangest thing about it though, was the blade itself: upon closer inspection it was _very_ sharp, but when she touched the edge it didn't cut her at all, regardless of how much she pressed it. It was almost as if the blade itself _refused_ to cut her.

"So, what do you think we should do with it?" Yui finally broke the silence.

"I am not sure, it's not like we know many people who know about magic daggers…" an obvious understatement "…not to mention that it is a pretty unbelievable story."

That was definitely a moot point.

"Besides, there is something else that's been bothering me about it." At hearing this, Yui raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Well… I think I've seen it before."

"You've seen it before? Where?" Yui was now intrigued.

"In my dreams."

"Your dreams?"

"Remember the dream I had last night? The one I told you about?"

"The one with the Giant?"

"Yes, that one. I am pretty sure he was wielding this as a sword in my dream. It was a LOT bigger though."

"But why would he need a sword?"

Leave it to Yui to ask the important questions. Haruka contemplated her answer for a moment.

"I think… I think he was fighting something. Something big."

That wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Do you remember anything else? From your dream?"

Haruka thought about it. She didn't remember much but she still got some brief flashes.

"There was a ring made of light, and I think there was an explosion."

This didn't bode well at all.

Even if everything Haruka recalled was correct, there were still a lot of things they didn't know; what exactly is the dagger? How did it end up in Noble Academy? And who was that giant of light? Was he the one who called for Haruka?

Yui kept pondering this while intentionally evading the most important question: why Haruka?

She could make an educated guess, but even if she was on the right track there really was nothing they could do about it. Or was there?

"…maybe we can try to figure this out later." Yui suggested. It's not like they were going to find a lot of answers in their dorm room.

"You're right," Haruka agreed "tomorrow's the school festival so we need to stay focused. This can wait, I think."

Not the most confident statement, but Student Council President Haruno Haruka had responsibilities and this was not the time to get sidetracked.

That night both of them went to sleep readying themselves for the big day, but while neither of them would say it, they both knew: something did not felt right.

Still, Haruka was never the one to lose hope. There had to be a reason to all of this.

For now, she kept the dagger in one of the drawers in her desk. They would eventually find the truth, somehow. She just had to believe.

As slept finally overcame her, she did not dreamt of a giant.

Instead, she dreamt of a song.

* * *

The middle of the ocean.

Not a soul in sight.

The sea was as still as it was dark.

Only the Moon bore witness to the events that unfolded.

Fire rained down from the sky.

The tranquility of the sea broken by a tremendous impact.

On the darkest depths of the ocean, something began to move.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Arrival

Noble Academy's Family Festival.

Originally it was known as "Family Day", a day for the families of the freshmen students to come to the academy and celebrate with them the beginning of this new chapter in their lives. In recent years however, it was expanded to be a celebration of the accomplishments of all the students in the academy who moved forward towards their dreams.

It had been one of the final acts of Kaidou Minami as Student Council President, and there was no force in this universe that could stop Haruno Haruka from making it a success.

Luckily, it seemed that the forces to be where on her side; the weather was nice, there had been no major incidents (save for that one first year student who almost broke a flower base) and all activities were proceeding as planned.

There had been a warning issued by the coast guard though; apparently a minor earthquake had taken place somewhere in the pacific and ships were encouraged to take safety precautions due to adverse conditions, but as long as everyone stayed inland it shouldn't be an issue.

Currently, Haruka was at the school entrance greeting the families of the students who had come to visit the academy.

"Greetings, please enjoy your stay!"

As per usual, her excitement was nothing but contagious.

It had been a LOT of work to organize this festival. The student body was bigger than in previous years (Noble Academy had become somewhat more renowned, because of reasons) so there was a lot more people attending than usual. Luckily, there were also plenty of helping hands.

Still, nothing was bringing her down today. As the Student Council President, she had a sense of pride in seeing the hard work they all put into this bearing fruit. Besides, there was one more reason for her to be excited since-

"Big sis!"

Hearing that voice brought a smile (okay, a bigger smile) to her face.

Momoka, her little sister, was rushing towards her with her parents not far behind.

"Now now Momoka, you shouldn't run while in the school grounds, it's not proper."

"Oh I'm sorry." Her little sister apologized, a little embarrassed.

Haruka chuckled.

It seemed like only yesterday when she and her sister used to waste the afternoons playing together back in their hometown. Seeing the little Lady standing now in front of her gave her a strange mixture of longing and pride.

Soon after their parents joined her.

"Mom, Dad, Momoka, greetings." She said with a little bow.

"Greeting to you as well." Three voices said in unison. They _had_ to have practiced that.

"I still have some duties to attend here, but you're all welcome to the courtyard where we have a communal area and refreshments. I will join you there shortly." Now that she definitely practiced.

"Very well then, we will see you there." Said her mother.

"We'll look forward to our little Princess!" Said her father, embarrassingly.

"See you, Big sis!" the young Momoka said while waving enthusiastically.

Having said their goodbyes they headed into the school. Haruka could almost hear her dad crying in the distance, muttering something about her being 'such a proper Lady now'.

It was nice to have a loving family.

* * *

Given the magnitude of the event, especially compared with previous years, several activities had been arranged to entertain the many, many guests to Noble Academy.

The courtyard had been transformed into a make-shift rest area filled with tables and chairs, with tea and pastries graciously provided by the confectionary club.

All the sports clubs had organized small exhibition matches to showcase why exactly Noble academy had gained such a renown in the competitive circles, and there were even organized tours throughout the landmarks of the school to show off the prestigious grounds and maybe even attract some young prospectors to enroll in the academy.

They also had an artistic performance programed, but it wouldn't take place until later in the day.

For now, Yui herself was supervising the art exhibition organized by the art club showing the talents of past and current students. Some of her own works may or may not have been exhibited using a fairly obvious pseudonym. Even after all these years she never got used to the attention some of her paintings got.

As much as she enjoyed the atmosphere, the conversation from the previous day still weighted on her mind. She had found herself dwelling upon it while lost in thought more than once during the day, much like right now, so she didn't noticed one of her underclassmen calling to her.

"Nanase-sempai!"

"Oh Hisako-chan, I'm sorry, I was distracted." She quickly turned her attention to the shorter girl.

"… as I was saying, I can take your post so you can go and have some rest." It was more of an order than a suggestion.

Yui politely smiled to her junior's kindness "I appreciate it, but I don't think that will be necessary."

"I insist. I think you could really use some fresh air." She stated while staring at her upperclassman intently.

Knowing how to take a hint, Yui relented.

"Fine, I'll leave everything up to you then. But call me if anything happens."

"Don't worry, nothing will happen on my watch." The younger girl said while giving a quick salute, which Yui found amusing.

While she wasn't exactly eager to leave her duty it was true that she needed to clear her head, not to mention that she was a little worried about Haruka; leaving the business with the dagger aside, her friend had been working non-stop for almost a week now, so she wanted to make sure that she at least took a break to be with her family since she knew how much Haruka had been looking forward to it. It didn't took long before she ran into her by the entrance.

"Haruka-chan!" She waved at her.

"Ah, Yui-chan. Wait, weren't you supposed to be at the gallery?"

"I was, but I took a small break to check on you. How about you, are you done at the gate?"

"I am, I was just on my way to check some of the other events."

"Has your family arrived?"

"They did, I saw them a while ago. They are probably at the food court now."

"Then why don't you go with them? You do know that you don't have to keep an eye at everything and everyone in the festival, right?"

"Yeah well, I just wanted to make sure in case any-"

"Haruka-chan, you are not the only one working hard today. Everyone is giving their best for their families, so it's okay if you take a break to be with yours. I am sure they are eager to see you as well."

Haruka sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I guess you are right."

"That's better, now come on, I'll go with you. It's been ages since I last saw Momoka-chan."

It didn't took them long to reach the courtyard where several tables had been arranged for the guests families. Haruka's parents where at the table especially assigned for the Haruno family. One of the perks of being president.

"Mom, Dad, I'm here!" Haruka proclaimed as they neared them.

"Haruka-chan!" Haruka's dad exclaimed as he jumped to hug his daughter. Haruka loved his dad, but she wasn't so fond of the extra attention.

"Let go Dad, you are embarrassing me."

"I don't think anyone minds. Your family is always a riot." Yui gleefully added herself to the conversation.

"Ah, Yui-chan, you are here as well." Haruka's mom greeted her as she came into view.

"Mr. and Mrs. Haruno, greetings to you."

"Greetings to you as well." Like a clockwork.

"We were just talking about you two," the oldest Mrs. Haruno explained "it's amazing that you managed to organize all of this."

"Well, it wasn't just us, we had a lot of help." Yui clarified "by the way, where is Momoka-chan? I haven't had the chance to greet her."

"Oh that's right, I thought she was with you." Haruka inquired once released from her dad's impregnable hug.

"She went to take one of those Academy tours around the campus. She should be back soon." Her mom said while putting her husband back in place.

"I can't believe our youngest daughter will soon leave us as well!" Haruka's dad was now on the verge of ears.

"What do you mean 'as well'?" Haruka directed at her father. Yui too wanted to know.

"Dear, it was supposed to be a surprise!" Mrs. Haruno interjected while glaring at her husband.

"Anyways," she continued" she wanted to be the one to tell you…" she glared at Mr. Haruno once more "…but Momoka has decided to enter Noble Academy next year."

After hearing that, it was almost as if something deep inside Haruka had broken, Yui noted.

At first, she stood there, her emotions unreadable.

Then her face contorted into a caricature of something that resembled a smile.

Finally she squealed in a frequency that only dolphins could detect.

"DID SHE REALLY SAID THAT!?" She shouted, turning the heads of anyone who wasn't already playing spectator to the Haruno clan hijinks.

"Yes," Haruka's mom answered, calmly, unlike her daughter "she had been thinking about it for some time but she only told us about it recently. She even started studying for the entrance exam."

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" Haruka gushed "I can't believe my dear little sister is finally following on my footsteps…" She was practically crying for that last part.

Yui could have pointed out that by the time Momoka could enter the Academy Haruka would have already graduated, but she just didn't have the heart to do it right now.

"Mom, Dad, Big sis!"

Speak of the devil, Haruka's little sister was heading towards them right now, but before she could even close the distance, the bullet train of excitement that Noble Academy had deemed worthy of being its Student Council President was already on a collision course with the youngest Haruno.

"Momoka!" Having shattered the sound barrier, Haruka greeted her sister with a big hug and an even bigger grin. Honestly, Yui had never seen Haruka this excited, and that's saying something.

"Is it true? Are you really going to join Noble Academy!?" It was more of a wailing than an actual question.

"Big sis let go, I can't breathe…" apparently the hugging ran in the family"…wait, how did yo- DAD!" She glared at their father. That also ran in the family.

"I am sorry, I was so excited I just couldn't help it…" The now flustered man apologized.

"Come on," said Haruka, visibly bursting with excitement" I am going to show you everything about the academy! The main building, the dorms where you'll be staying, how to take care of the gardens, oh, and there this cool hidden pond right in the middle of-"

"Big sis!" Momoka addressed her unlikely older sister "calm down, you are as embarrassing as dad!" Now that was a low blow "Besides, I haven't even taken the entrance exam yet."

Haruka tried to recompose herself as much as possible "Sorry, I guess I got a bit carried away…"

That gained her a heartfelt laugh from everyone present.

"Anyways sis, there's actually something I wanted to ask you…" Momoka said seriously.

"Uh…" Haruka finally recovered her composure "what is it?"

"Well…" the younger Haruno seemed a little nervous"…I was wondering if maybe, if you have the time…" she tried to look her sister in the eye "…could you teach me how the play the violin?"

Haruka was taken aback for a moment, but then she smiled at her little sister and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sure thing," she said, reassuringly "how about next time I'm home I bring my violin and give you some lessons?"

"You will? Thank you big sis!" she hugged her sister lovingly.

'It must be nice' Yui thought.

"I know you're having a moment and I don't what to be rude, but we have a situation, Haruno." An unexpected witness announced.

"Ah, Yuuki-kun," Haruka let go of her sister "did something happened?"

"Nothing serious," he clarified "we just ran out seats back at the sports field."

"Mmh…" Haruka thought about it for a moment while entering Student Council President Mode, as Yui called it "we should still have plenty of foldable chairs in the back storage room of the auditorium."

"Sounds perfect, I'll get some of the guys to help me out. Isn't the storage room locked though?" he added.

"It is, but we have a spare key back at the Student Council room. I'll go get it." She then turned to her family "Sorry, I need to take care of this. I'll be back in a moment."

"Don't worry, we are not going anywhere." Momoka gleefully added.

Haruka nodded "Once I am back we can go to-"

Without warning, Haruka froze.

"Big sis?" Momoka asked worriedly.

"Haruka-chan, is something wrong?" Yui had a bad feeling about this.

"Earth to Haruno…" Yuuki waved his hand in from of her face to no avail "…don't tell me you heard another Ghost…"

"What do you mean by another Gho-" Yui didn't even get to finish before Haruka abruptly interrupted.

"Everyone, get down!" she shouted.

They barely even had time to react before everything started shaking violently.

Yui could feel herself losing her balance before Haruka's Dad got a hold of her and his wife.

Haruka instinctively held onto Momoka.

The trembling continued as people panicked around them.

A thunderous noise pierced the skies and then everything stopped.

It had been only a few seconds but it had been far too intense, even for an earthquake.

"Is everyone alright!?" Yui could hear Haruka's Dad as he helped her wife get a seat.

"I… I think we are fine…" Momoka responded, still shaking.

"What the hell!" Yuuki tried remain calm, but he wasn't quite there "was that an earthquake!?"

"It wasn't." Haruka stated. There was an empty look in her eyes and she spoke with a dry tone "It's coming."

Yui had never seen Haruka with such a serious expression. It terrified her.

"What do you mean? What IS coming, Haruno!?"

Haruka didn't even answered him, she just let go of her sister before bolting out of there.

"Haruka-chan, where are you going!?"

That was the last thing Yui said before her friend entered the main building.

* * *

Fearing the worst was yet to come, she quickly followed after her.

Yui ran in pursuit of Haruka through the Hallways. It was completely against school regulations, but there were more pressing matters right now; that earthquake, or whatever it was, didn't felt natural, not to mention that the mysterious shriek they heard was unlike anything she had experienced before.

More frightening still though, was Haruka's reaction. She was the bravest person Yui had ever meet, so anything that could scare her like that should not be taken lightly.

By now she had followed Haruka to the third floor of the main building, and by the look of things they were heading to the observation tower.

'Why there?' she wondered.

She went up the staircase. The door was open so Haruka had to be up there.

As she caught up to her friend she could see her standing there next to the window, staring into the distance.

"Haruka-chan, what is going on? What did you mean by-" She had gotten close to her to try and get some answers, but that became unnecessary once she saw it.

Right there, in the ocean, roughly a mile away from the academy but slowly closing the distance.

A monster. That was the only way to describe it.

It was huge, probably around 60 meters tall.

The sky had started to darken but she could still make up most of its features.

His skin, though it looked more like a shell, had a dark blue tone. It had big, webbed hands that looked almost like clawed-flippers, and its shoulders and back were covered in spikes. A long neck protruded from the chest and at the end of it you could see its hideous head; a split jaw, countless teeth and four bright red eyes looking straight to them.

Yui turned to Haruka hoping she could make sense of this.

Her friend still looked scared, but now there was something else in her eyes.

Determination. That's was the only to describe it.

"Yui-chan."

Haruka finally broke her silence.

"We need to evacuate the Academy."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Miracle

"Haruno, Nanase-san, what is going on!?"

As Yui and Haruka descended the stairs from the tower they were received by a small crowd of students lead by a concerned Yuuki.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so hasty" a gentle voiced replied "I am sure Haruno-san will brief us on the current situation."

An old woman wearing a long yellow sweater and green hat with a floral motif stood before them.

"Chairman." Haruka addressed her respectfully.

Looking at the people before her, Haruka steeled herself knowing what was coming.

"I know this will sound hard to believe, but there is a giant monster heading towards Noble Academy as we speak." She tried to be as direct as possible "It'll probably hit the shore in less than an hour."

For a moment, no one dared to speak.

"Are you serious?" Yuuki finally asked.

"Do you think I'd joke about something like this?"

"…no." he spoke frankly.

"Am I to assume that this monster is the cause of that earthquake we felt and that horrible shriek?" The chairman went back to the topic.

"I believe it is."

"So what do we do now?" Asked a now serious Yuuki.

"Well, Mrs. President?" The chariman looked at her with a calm demeanor.

Haruka looked her in the eyes for a moment, then back to the students.

"We need to evacuate the school. There's a lot of people but if we start now we should be able to get everyone to the mainland before that creature gets here."

She then turned to Yui.

"Yui-chan, go with the Chairman and help her gather the teachers so that they can start leading the people out of the school."

"Understood." Yui replied and headed off with the Chairman towards the teacher's room.

"Kanae-san, Yuuko-chan" She addressed two second year students she recognized from the crowd "the leaders of each club should know the evacuation procedures, so find them and explain them the situation. We will need their help as well."

Both of them nodded and headed towards the courtyard.

"Yuuki-kun."

"Yes, President."

"You to stay in here."

"I am sure I could be more useful somewhere else." He retorted.

"I need you to stay in the observation tower and keep an eye on that thing. We need to know when it hits the shore and where it's headed, so stay up there and let me know if the situations changes."

"You got it." He quickly went past hear and headed for the tower.

"The rest of you are with me. We need to start gathering the people from the sports fields and the other buildings…" She looked at them with determination "…I know this is scary, but right now we need to focus on what we can do and what needs to be done, and that is to get your families… our families to safety. Any questions?"

They all remained silent in agreement.

"Right, then let's go."

* * *

"Everyone please, remain calm. Just follow the indications and don't wander from the line."

Haruka repeated the instruction as she and the other students guided the crowd towards the gates of the school.

After the initial tremor almost everyone had gathered in safe locations as it is common during emergencies, so it wasn't hard to round them up. That said, most people were surprised by the sudden evacuation and some of them remained uneasy; rumors had already began to spread and while Haruka knew that it would be impossible to keep the presence of the monster a secret for long, she still wanted to try and avoid panic as much as possible.

"Big Sis!" She turned to see her family heading towards her.

She hugged her sister the moment she reached her.

"Mom, Dad, Momoka, are you alright?" She asked as they separated.

"Is it true what they are saying? That there's a monster heading for the school!?" Her sister pleaded for an answer.

Haruka briefly looked around, some people had turned their heads in their direction. As much as she wanted to avoid it she simply could not conceal the truth from her family.

She looked at her parents and then at her sister "Yes, there is a huge creature heading towards the school right now" She could see her sister flinch "it hasn't reached the coast yet, so we should be able to evacuate everyone before It gets here."

"What about the school?"

The question took Haruka by surprise. She had been so focused on the evacuation that she had completely forgotten about it; even if they got everyone off the island, Noble Academy was still on the path of the monster, and there was no one who could stop it.

She knew that all too well.

Regardless, this wasn't the time, the people was her main priority right know.

"Sis?"

Her sister's voice brought her back to reality.

"I don't know, Momoka…" She tried to hide the shaking in her voice "…but for now I need you, mom and dad to evacuate with the rest of the people, okay?"

"What about you? Aren't you coming with us?"

She hugged her sister one more time.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could, but the students are my responsibility and I can't leave until the evacuation is complete…" she hesitated when looking at her sister's eyes "…but I'll join you as soon as I can."

"You promise?"

"I promise, so come on, you have to get going." She let go of her sister, but she was soon enveloped by her parent's arms.

"Be safe, sweetie." Her mother whispered in her ear.

"Make us proud." Her father added.

"Don't worry, this isn't my first time." She then looked back at her sister "Look after them for me, will you?"

"You got it, Sis."

As she watched her family evacuate with the rest, Haruka kept thinking about what she told her sister.

Noble Academy meant a lot to her, it was the place where she made the greatest friends anyone could have after all, so being unable to do anything to protect it was frustrating.

'If only there was a way to-'

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shock.

She brought her hand to her temple. It felt like a headache only…painless? She didn't have time to process it as a flurry of images came into her view.

At first she couldn't make sense of it, but soon she recognized something: it was the monster, right in front of her, but it didn't looked nearly as big. It was almost completely dark, yet she could see it clearly, and what's more, she could see herself fighting it except… it wasn't really her?

Was this a vision or a memory of some kind? And whose memory?

She couldn't dwell on it further as someone snapped her back to the present.

"Haruka-chan, are you okay!?"

She could see Yui right staring at her with a worried look.

On her daze, it seems she had knelt on the ground and Yui was now kneeling next to her, holding her by the shoulders.

"I am fine." She managed to articulate.

"No you are not!" Yui almost shouted. "What happened to you?"

She looked at her friend, her eyes full of concern.

"I… I am not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with-"

Their conversation was cut short as a loud roar reverberated throughout the school.

Haruka could feel the ground shaking slightly.

It was close.

"Haruno!"

She saw Yuuki running towards them.

"Nanase-san, Haruno, are you okay?" He asked as he saw them kneeling on the ground.

"I am fine now," she replied as she got up "did something happen?"

"Uh… Yeah, we got a problem, a big one."

"What is it?"

"That… thing is almost here, but it seems to be heading towards the west cliff side."

"The cliff side? You mean…"

Noble Academy resided in a small island just a little ways off the coast, and there was only one way to get in and out of the island… if the monster arrived through the west side there was a high chance that he would end up in…

"…the bridge."

"This is bad," Yui noted" we've barely evacuated half the people…"

"Damn it!" Yuuki voiced his frustration "isn't there anything we can do!?"

Haruka started thinking.

Why did this happen today? Why here, why now?

' _There has to be a reason_ ', she thought.

It was only when she remembered the vision she just experienced that everything started to come together.

The monster attack, the events of the previous day, dreams of a giant and a calling only she could hear. It could not be a coincidence.

It was a small chance, but she knew what she had to do.

"That has to be it…" she thought out loud, surprising the other two.

"Stay here and continue the evacuation, I am going to try something."

Before either of them could say anything she started running, but she didn't make it very far when she felt something, or rather someone, pulling her by the wrist.

"Haruka, wait! Where are you going?"

She stopped dead on her tracks.

"I need to get back to the dorm room." She quickly replied.

"The dorm room? Don't tell me…" It seems Yui had the same idea as her.

"Yes, I am not sure how or why but I think the dagger is the reason that monster is coming here, and it might be the only way to stop it."

"But you don't know that for sure!" Yui exclaimed.

"Maybe I don't, but I have to try."

"No you don't!"

The small outburst took her by surprise.

"You don't have to do this anymore..." her friend whispered.

"Yui…" Haruka could see tears forming in her eyes.

"I know how you feel. I know better than anyone…" Yui pleaded "…but you are not a PreCure anymore, if you go and face that monster on your own you might not…" she couldn't even finish the sentence.

Haruka looked at her.

She knew, even if they never talked about it, they both knew that a day like this might come.

They both feared it would.

"You know, back when we fought against Dys Dark, there was always a part of me that was scared. Scared of failing, of not being strong enough…"

Haruka looked around her, at the people, the academy. She could feel droplets of water starting to fall.

"It wasn't easy, sometimes it was painful or worst… but I always had a reason to keep on fighting, and that gave me to courage to try my best."

"…your dream." Yui added.

"Yes, my dream… as well as everyone else's, including yours."

Closing the distance, Haruka took Yui's hand into her own.

"Even now that's what keeps me going, so even if I am no longer Cure Flora, I have to keep pushing forward. Minami-san, Kirara-chan, Towa-san, we all gave our best to protect them, so I can't give up now. I owe them that much."

Yui looked down and chuckled.

"Right… that's what you do, isn't it?"

She looked up. They smiled at each other

"It sucks you know, always being the one who stays behind." Her glasses were getting moist.

"You were never behind us Yui, you were guarding the place for us to return to."

Yui squeezed her hand and looked her right in the eyes.

"Promise… that you will come back."

"Only if you promise to be here when I return."

"That's what I do, isn't it?"

They both chuckled, and then they let go.

* * *

Haruka hurried into her room.

She could hear the rain hitting the windows. The ground was shaking.

It was almost there.

She quickly opened the drawer of her desk and took the dagger out. It was slightly hot.

"It was you… you were trying to warn me, didn't you?"

There was no response, but somehow she knew it heard her.

She heard another roar, stronger than before.

There was no time. She had to go.

* * *

As she traversed the forest, there were a million thoughts running through Haruka's head.

What Yui said rang true: she could not be sure that this would work, that this 'dagger' or whatever it was could help her stop that monster.

She held the dagger tightly.

There were too many things about this situation that she didn't knew, but she had to believe that there was a purpose to all of this. Quickening her pace, she took a small short cut that would lead her to the coast.

' _I hope it's not too late_ ' she thought to herself.

The tumult at the academy could still be heard in the distance, but the sounds were being slowly drown out by the crashing of the waves, the rustling of the wind and the incremental rumbling of the earth.

As she cleared the forest she could finally see her goal.

The sea was raging on and it felt as if a storm was brewing, but once she got close to the cliff side none of that mattered anymore. She could finally see it.

Four red eyes filled with malice. The split jaw full of teeth, a huge body covered in spines and claws that could probably crush a building in one swipe. Even she was taken aback by the sight of the monstrous creature.

It was probably less than 200 meters until it reached the coast. At this distance the people on the academy could probably see it clearly, but even from where she was standing it was still too close for comfort.

It was now or never.

She got closer to the edge of the cliff. She didn't know if the monster could see her, and even if it did she wasn't sure the creature even cared.

As the rain continued to let up, she held the dagger close to her chest, praying to whoever was out there that this worked. She then looked straight ahead as she raised the dagger hoping that something would happen.

Anything.

Nothing.

"Why…"

She asked.

"What am I supposed to do…?"

She couldn't contemplate it for long as she felt a terrible gaze upon her.

The monster had stopped. It was looking right at her.

Before she could react he released a deafening roar that caused the earth itself to shake. She kept her balance, only barely, and raised the dagger once more.

' _Come on, you have to work!_ ' She pleaded, yet nothing happened.

Unfortunately, the monster had seemingly become aware of what she was trying to do. She could feel his killer intent as he stared intently into her.

Suddenly, the enormous creature raised his head slightly and a strange glow started emanating from his mouth. It took Haruka a moment to realize that the monster was gathering energy, and she had enough experience with this kind of things to know exactly what was coming.

Readying herself for what would come next, she started running towards the forest behind her to try and find some cover, but she didn't make it very far before she felt it: the sound of a powerful blast followed by shockwave that sent her flying several meters.

Everything around her faded to black.

* * *

Most of the people had already been evacuated though many were still on the bridge, but things took a turn for the worst as people started to panic once the monster come into view of the school.

Yui and the rest of the student leading the evacuation were doing their best, but the thoughts of the young girl rested with her best friend. She knew that if there was someone capable of doing something about the monster, it was Haruno Haruka, but that thought alone wouldn't ease her worries.

Still, she had a job to do and she couldn't let herself lose focus while people still remained within the school grounds.

"Everyone please, remain calm and follow the evacuation route!" She addressed the moving crowd.

People were scared and Yui couldn't blame them as most of them had never faced this kind of situation before. Still, she couldn't lose hope now, not when Noble Academy needed it the most.

"Everyone, look!" One of the bystanders shouted.

Yui and the rest turned towards the sea and that's when they saw it: the monster had stopped, and from the relative close distance they could see the evil intent in the creature's eyes. It sent a chill down her spine.

"What is it doing?" Yui said under her breath.

Almost on cue the monster unleashed terrible roar that reverberated throughout the whole school.

"…the hell? What is that thing doing now?" She heard Yuuki exclaim and then she noticed: the mouth of the creature was glowing, almost as if it was about to…

"Everyone, get down!"

She barely had time to say it before the creature unleashed some sort of fireball that impacted the coast. It wasn't a big blast but the force of the explosion was enough to shake the ground.

"HARUKA!" She shouted trying her hardest not to think of the worst.

"Nanase-san, you should go." Yuuki told her while looking towards the source of the blast.

"But the evacua-"

"Look, as much as I hate to admit it, Haruno has more guts than anyone I know, but that doesn't mean she's invincible."

It seemed Yuuki feared the same thing as her.

"We'll take care of things here, so you go and find her. She might need you."

Yui was speechless for a moment, but she knew he was right. If something happened to Haruka she would never forgive herself.

"Come back in one piece!"

That was the last thing she heard of him before she rushed towards the coast.

* * *

Haruka opened her eyes.

It seemed the blast had knocked her out, thought she wasn't sure for how long. She tried to focus her vision and look around her.

She was at the edge of the forest. She had managed to dodge the blast but the shockwave of the explosion was still quite strong. Remembering her situation, she quickly turned around and what she saw drained the color out of her face.

The cliff where she had been standing had been completely obliterated.

She had only barely managed to dodge the attack, and as the smoke dissipated she could still see the monster standing there, looking at her.

For a moment, she panicked.

There was a part of her that wanted to run away from there and get to safety, but she had just witnessed what this monster was capable off. There was no doubt in her mind that if this thing continued on its path, Noble Academy would be annihilated.

She could not allow that.

Quickly looking around, she found the dagger next to her on the ground. She once again took it into her hands and stood up defiantly, looking straight into the monster's eyes.

She could have sworn that the creature was looking back at her, but this time she would not be deterred.

"My name is Haruno Haruka," she started addressing the monster "and I am the Student Council President of Noble academy."

Whether or not it understood her she didn't know, but at least she seemed to have caught its attention.

"I like dancing, cooking, and playing the violin."

She took a step forward.

"I maybe a bit of a klutz, and I tend to get too caught up in the moment."

The creature fixated on her.

"I love my friends more than anything else in the world, and my dream is to become a Princess!"

She pointed the dagger at the monster.

"This is the place where we all worked together to reach our dreams…"

Slowly, the rain stopped.

"…so if you think that I'll stand idly by as you endanger all that is precious to me, you have another thing coming!"

She put the dagger to the side and raised her other hand, with her palm upwards and pointing towards the monster.

"Please, prepare yourself."

She couldn't tell if she was bluffing or not, but at the very least the creature seemed to respond to it as it raised his head slightly, extended his claws and released a small howl, as if accepting the challenge.

Haruka looked at the dagger on her hand and started whispering.

"Listen, this place and the people in it mean more to me than what I can put into words." She thought of all the friends that she had made ever since she joined the academy.

"They all came here to grasp their dreams, just as I did." The bittersweet memory of Minami and Kirara leaving came to her.

"I don't know who you are, but you tried to warn me, so I know you want to stop this monster as much as I do."

As she spoke, the dark beast began gathering his energy once more, and by the looks of things this blast would be more powerful than the last.

"I want to protect this place, not just for me, but also for all the people who have yet to follow their dreams…" She couldn't help but to think of her sister.

"I know I can't do this alone, so please… even if it's only for one moment… let me borrow me the power of your light!"

The monster fired his attack, but just as it reached Haruka it was stopped by a barrier of light that had enveloped her, dissipating the energy and redirecting it to the sky, parting the clouds.

For Haruka, it was as if time itself had stopped.

At first, it felt as if she were floating in the ether, weightless, but then a rush of energy began flowing through her body. A familiar sensation, as if she had been enveloped in light.

Her mind was suddenly filled with images of times and places she could not recognize, but regardless of where it was she always saw the same thing.

Monsters.

Giant creatures spreading havoc and destruction, terrorizing people across the universe and beyond, but no matter the place or how desperate the situation, there was always a figure standing between the people and their terrible predators…

A man.

No, he was more than a man, but each and every time he had stood up against them, fighting, falling and rising again, as many times as needed.

Haruka finally understood. She knew what she was meant to do.

Time resumed and she could see her opponent readying another attack to blast her and the Academy away, but now she was ready.

"Orb Calibur!"

As soon as those words left her mouth the dagger in her hand grew into a full size sword and her body was covered by a powerful light aura. A sad but hopeful melody resonated within her.

She held the sword high and the moment the monster shot again she swung the sword with all her might, deflecting the attack and sending it towards the ocean.

Enraged, the monster raised one of his humongous claws and tried to swipe at Haruka, but she countered by thrusting the sword forward, creating a shockwave strong enough to send her opponent stumbling backwards.

She had never felt this kind of power surging through her body. Actually, she did, once, but soon she became aware that it was taking a toll on her. Knowing that time was of the essence, Haruka prepared her final attack.

Holding the Orb Calibur with her right hand, she spun the disc on the tilt, causing the sword to react as the symbols on it began to glow. Raising it as high as she could, she drew a circle around her, creating a large ring of light. She then plunged the sword into the center of it, concentrating all of the energy into the sword.

It was overwhelming, so she tightened her grip with both of her hands and readied herself to unleash all of its power.

"ORB SUPREME CALIBUR!"

She shouted as she brought down the sword, unleashing a powerful energy wave that blasted the monster in front of her.

The beam was powerful enough to push the monster back, but in return Haruka herself could barely control it. She could feel the beast trying to fight back, so she focused

"Come on, just a little more!"

It seemed to be working, but it took every ounce of her strength to keep up with the attack. Knowing that it wouldn't be long before her body gave up, she gathered all the strength she could muster and hoped that it would be enough.

The sword seemed to respond to her wishes as the beam concentrated, becoming more powerful. The dark beast roared in pain.

"Hyaaaaaa!" She screamed as she pushed the last bit of power into a final wave of energy that shook her to her very core.

Finally, the beam stopped and Haruka knelt on the ground supporting herself on the sword, her body completely exhausted.

"Did… did it work?"

It came out more like a plead than as a question. She was starting to feel the burden of using the Orb Calibur like that, and soon the world around her faded once more as her body finally gave in.

As she fell on the ground, she could hear someone calling her name.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Wanderer.

"HARUKA-CHAN!"

Yui ran towards her friend who was laying on the ground.

After leaving the evacuation group, she had traversed the forest in the direction of the explosion, assuming that Haruka would be there. However, she wasn't prepared for what she saw once she reached the cliff side.

Her friend wielding a familiar blade.

A powerful energy beam.

The monster being pushed back.

She had stood in place watching in awe as the power of the sword was enough to push the monster further into the ocean, then she saw the beam concentrating as the beast struggled to maintain its footing. Unlikely as it may seem, her friend had gained the upper hand.

One final burst of energy signaled the end of their struggle, and she saw incredulous how the monster collapsed. For a fleeting moment she felt relieved, but then she saw her friend falling to the ground and so she desperately hurried to her side.

"Haruka-chan, are you okay!?"

She got on the ground and tried to pick her up, holding her in her arms.

The girl didn't respond, but she was still breathing. Aside from her clothes being a little roughed up and some dirt on her face there were no signs of harm, so it was probably just exhaustion.

Yui sighed. She then took a moment to appreciate the scene before her: the west cliff had been obliterated, probably during the explosion they felt before, and there in her arms was Haruka, clutching onto the sword that had now returned to its smaller size.

Yui tried to pry the object from her hands to examine it once more, but the sleeping girl just wouldn't let go.

'Must be really important then.' She bemused.

The events of the day started to circle in her head. The festival, a monster, an emergency evacuation, and now this. It could not be a coincidence, and the dagger was definitely at the center of all of this, but the questions could wait. Right now taking Haruka back to the academy was her priority.

Then, without notice, the earth rumbled.

It took Yui completely by surprise, but she immediately turned towards the sea surmising the probable source.

It was moving.

After being pushed back into the ocean, the creature fell on his side and remained still, but now it was starting to move again, and Yui watched in terror as it slowly got back on its feet.

Clearly, facing the power of the sword had taken its toll: some parts of its body looked charred and there was a huge scar running from its chest to the right shoulder. Yui couldn't believe that thing was still willing to fight, but just by looking at its eyes Yui could see the thirst for vengeance that fueled the monster.

Yui started to think.

There was nothing she could do against it, so they needed to get out of there fast, but with Haruka unconscious it would not be an easy task. Still, she had to try.

' _Come on, sleeping Princess._ '

She put Haruka's right arm around her shoulders and tried her best to lift her friend and walk away, but the weight was a bit too much for the petite girl and she soon lost her balance, barely managing to hold herself against a nearby tree.

' _Not good_ ' she thought.

Unfortunately her attempts didn't went unnoticed as the monster released another roar, somewhat diminished, probably because of its wounds, but still full of rage. To Yui's dismay the creature seemed to crouch slightly only to start charging towards the island, likely in an attempt to crush them.

Leaning herself against the tree, she instinctively embraced the unresponsive Haruka in an attempt to protect her, but she was painfully aware that against the might of that creature her efforts would be in vain.

' _This is it_.' She told herself as she closed her eyes and heard the creature hasten its pace.

They had but moments before it'd reached them. In a way, this had always been one of her greatest fears: being powerless to protect her, just like Haruka had protected her and the people of the academy so many times before.

Yui held on to her friend and braced herself for the inevitable.

' _Don't give up!_ '

She heard a voice, except, it wasn't really a voice. It was more like… a thought?

She didn't even had the chance to contemplate it as she soon heard a massive crash followed by a slight tremor. An incredibly bright light shone through her eyelids.

Slowly, she opened her eyes while using her free hand to try and shield her sight, and what she saw left her speechless once more: a giant being of light, easily as big as the monster, now stood between them and the beast, holding it at bay with its bare hands.

The creature reacted in a fit of rage and panic, but the light being that had now became their savior resisted its efforts and used the beast's very impulse to push it upwards and then sent it flying back with a powerful front kick.

Yui could hardly believe that what her eyes were seeing was real.

After a few moments the light that covered the giant faded and Yui could finally take a good look at its form: it was definitely human in shape, and its body was covered in black, red and silver markings.

From their position she could only see its back, but then the giant turned his head slightly towards them and she could finally see his silver, metallic face. She was meet with a fierce but gentle gaze from the spheres of light that formed the giant's eyes.

"Who are you?" It was all she could mumble in her shock.

"…Orb." A whisper.

Yui turned to her side and saw a barely conscious Haruka looking at the scene before them.

"…Ultraman Orb…" the auburn haired girl added before fainting again.

Yui wasn't sure of what was going, but the giant, 'Orb', nodded as if in acknowledgement before turning his attention back to its opponent.

With each step it took the ground shook asunder.

First he rammed his opponent and pushed him further back, then separated to dodge an incoming claw attack from the creature and countered with an upwards motion of his arm, creating a small beam projectile that further hurt the monster.

Feeling itself cornered, the beast opened his mouth unleashing what looked like a very thin whip made of purple light and tried to slash Orb, but he ran towards him and ducked just right under it, only to quickly deliver un uppercut to the creature.

This battle of titans was unbelievable. Yui had seen huge monsters before, but the kind of power the Giant wielded still left her astonished.

Once the monster recovered from the last hit, it started to gather energy on his mouth with the intent of creating another fireball, but before he could finish the giant ran up to him and rammed his fist inside the creature's mouth, who roared in pain as the energy he gathered exploded within him.

Taking advantage of the situation, the giant moved behind the monster and grabbed its tail, raising it and causing the beast to tumble and fall. Getting a tighter grip, the giant supported the tail on his shoulder and pulled, raising the creature and launching it above him in a single swing, driving it further in to the sea.

Yui tried to stand up once more as she saw the monster crashing violently into the ocean. She was sure that the people in the academy as well as the nearby coast were watching this impossible spectacle as well.

Being on its last leg, the tired beast managed to stand up once more, looking intently at the giant who was more than ready to face the challenge. Releasing one final, monstrous roar the creature tried to rush the giant once more, but before he could even come close the giant steadied himself before raising his right arm in a vertical position and crossing it with the left one.

As soon as he did this, a beam of light surged from his open palm directly towards the monster.

The moment it connected, Yui could practically feel the force of the attack. It was similar to the one Haruka had used, but it felt far stronger, and soon the monster was pushed back as he became overwhelmed by the energy.

Finished, the giant being stood there, with his arms resting as it sides, staring at the creature.

At first it looked like the monster was still willing to continue their fight, but then several glowing cracks appeared on his body. Yui braced herself for what she knew was coming and soon after she was proven correct as the creature was engulfed in a massive explosion, big enough that she could still feel some of its force even though the monster was now several ways off the coast.

The giant, Orb as Haruka had called it, remained in place silently for a moment looking at where the creature once stood. He then turned around towards Noble Academy and looked at them, though Yui could swear he was staring at Haruka.

Then, he nodded sympathetically before raising his arms above his head and with a subtle leap he rose above the ocean, flaying into the distance.

Yui could only watch as the giant disappeared into the sky.

A part of her still couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. The events of the day weighted heavily on her mind and she was sure she would not be the only one, but as she looked at the now quiet sea and pondered the miraculous appearance of the giant being of light, she felt everything would be alright.

* * *

She could hear a song.

A familiar but sad song that somehow made her feel at ease.

Slowly, Haruka opened her eyes.

She was in her room, more specifically in her own bed, she could tell that much. The lights were off and everything would be dark if it weren't for the light coming through the windows. She could spy the sunset from the corner of her eye.

Just how long had she been asleep?

It took her a moment but she started to recall the events of the day, though everything was still a bit fuzzy.

"I see you are finally awake." A voice announced itself as the music stopped.

She got up and looked around. Her room looked almost exactly the same as she had left it in the morning save for a brown leather jacket hanging from her desk chair. A jacket that probably belonged to the figure currently sitting on the window frame.

"How are you feeling?" The man asked.

He was rather tall, at the very least way taller than her though that wasn't saying much. He was wearing a grey t-shirt, jeans, brown boots and a hat that matched. His right hand held a harmonica, most likely the source of the song she heard.

"I'm alright, I think. I'm just tired and my head's kind of buzzy." She replied while rubbing her neck.

"That's good. I'm Gai by the way." That name sounded strangely familiar.

"Oh, that's right" she quickly straightened herself up and bowed her head slightly "Greetings, I'm Haruka. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The man got up from his spot and bowed in return "Greetings, it's a pleasure as well Haruka-chan". He was surprisingly polite.

Taking a closer look, Haruka couldn't help but to look at his face. He looked much older than her, though he was rather handsome.

"Wait a minute," she panicked slightly at the realization "you are not supposed to be here, men are not allowed in the girls dormitories!"

"Don't worry about it," he smirked at her "those rules only apply to suspicious people. I am good guy, you know."

"Yeah, I know." She tapped her right index against her chin, pretending to think "I guess I could make an exception this time. You did saved the school after all, Orb-san." She looked at him with a mischievous smile.

For a moment he looked surprised, but then he relaxed again as he took her desk chair and sat by her bed.

"Yeah, well, that's what I do, though I did get some help, Flora-chan."

Now it was her time to look surprised, though she was far worst at dissimulating it. Seeing her reaction, Gai quickly pointed to her left hand. She was still holding the Orb Calibur.

"When you touched it, it formed a psychic link between us. That's how I knew."

Haruka looked at the object in her hand. It was a bit hard to believe, but that would explain her visions about the monster and how she knew who he was.

"Wait, does that means you can read my mind!?" She panicked once again as the realization dawned on her. He laughed wholeheartedly.

"Don't worry, it doesn't work like that. When you activated it I could see your memories for a moment…" a familiar experience, Haruka thought "… but I could only make sense of bits and pieces. Who's Minami by the way?"

"Oh, she's one of my friends." She paused, briefly "Why do you ask?"

"Uh, well, you think about her a lot."

"Eh, she's an _important_ friend." Hopefully, he didn't noticed her slight blush.

"Oh. I see." He noticed.

There was an awkward silence. Neither of them was very good at that.

"… I guess I should thank you, for saving us."

"No need, it's what I do. Besides, you were doing well without me."

"I am still not quite sure how I did that."

"You wanted to save everyone, didn't you?"

"Of course I did."

"Well, sometimes that is all it takes."

They smiled at each other.

"To be honest, if anything I should be thanking you. I would still be floating in space if you hadn't summoned my power. You are a real piece of work, you know."

"Yeah, people tell me that a lot."

That's when she realized of something peculiar "By the way, where's everyone?"

"I think they are still at that festival. With the monster gone everyone came back, and after your friends brought you here the girl with the glasses convinced everyone to let you rest for a while."

Made sense, and now that he mentioned it she could still hear music coming from the main building. Haruka leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief; after all that had happened, the return to normalcy was more than welcome.

"You know, back there I was really scared. I didn't know if I'd be able to protect everyone, their dreams, this place…"

It felt weird admitting this to someone she only just met. Usually, Yui was the only person with whom she could share her worries.

"After I stopped being Cure Flora, I was more than happy to keep following my dream and enjoy the peace we fought so hard to protect, but sometimes I wondered if it would last. I wondered what would happen if that peace was interrupted and I didn't have the power to protect them."

Gai had remained silent while listening intently. Haruka wasn't sure why, but something about his presence made her feel like she could tell him anything. In a way, she felt relieved.

"Sorry, I really shouldn't burden you with my problems."

He merely smiled at her as if saying 'it's okay'. He leaned back on the chair, crossing his arms, and after a moment he spoke up.

"A long time ago, I dreamed of protecting others, of creating a world where no one would have to be sacrificed…" his tone was serious, and a little bit sad "…that is why I sought the power of Orb, to become the light that would cut through the darkness."

Haruka was a little surprised. When she looked into his memories all she could see was a hero of light, a beacon that brought hope to those in need. It was so obvious now, but the man in front of her was human, just like her.

"I did my best to save those in need, but then one day I failed to protect what was most dear to me and lost my powers. You could say I lost myself that day."

His tale struck a chord with Haruka. She had seen herself time and time again how painful it could be to fail at grasping your own dream. She knew that pain all too well.

"And what did you do?"

Deep down she knew the answer, but she felt that she needed to ask that question. Not just for her sake, but for his as well

"I had friends who lent me their power so I could stand up again, and in time they gave me the courage to believe in myself once more."

He smiled fondly, as if reliving a wonderful memory. The he looked up at Haruka.

"Sorry, I am not very good at this kind of talk."

"No, it's fine. I thought you were going to lecture me about being reckless, actually."

"Normally I would, but it's not every day that I meet at legendary princess."

They both laughed quietly at the exchange.

"I have to go. The universe is a big place and you never know when someone needs help." He got up, put on his jacket and pointed at Haruka's hand. "I am going to need that back, by the way."

Quickly realizing what he meant, she extended her hand and gave him back the dagger.

"I know I already said this, but thanks for everything" She added as he took it back and put it inside his jacket.

"Don't worry. As I said, it's what I do." As he said this, he cautiously got close to the window, as if making sure there was no one outside.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, curious.

"Nothing is just… when I sneaked into the school I am pretty sure there was someone following me and I can't shake the feeling that I am being watched."

Haruka thought about it for a moment.

"That's probably just Mrs. Shirogane. Don't worry, as long as you don't cause trouble you'll be fine." She said this as if it was the most normal thing in the world, which left Gai speechless.

"Well…" he started, cautiously "then I guess I better leave before trouble finds me." He said as he headed for the window.

"Hey, before you go, can I ask you a favor."

He shrugged. "Sure"

"Could you play that song again?"

* * *

Yui felt a cold breeze as she walked back to the dorms.

After leaving Haruka to rest, she and the others students had decided to resume the festival. All things considered, they definitely had a reason to celebrate. Besides, it's what she would have wanted.

Still, after all that had happened that day, she remained worried about her friend. She knew Haruka would be okay, there were not many thing in this universe that could bring her down, but she still wanted to make sure the girl was okay.

Force of habit, you might say.

The sun had already settled and everyone had already gathered in the auditorium, so she left everything in the hands of the other students as she headed back to check on the girl that, against all odds, had pulled off a miracle once more. Momoka-chan had decided to tag along, so Yui found herself being bombarded with questions about the events of the day.

"So you saw that giant up close?" The younger girl seemed fascinated by that. Apparently people had seen everything (well, almost everything) from the bridge and the coast, and while these occurrences were not that uncommon in Noble Academy, the appearance of the 'Ultraman', as Haruka had called it, was nothing short of a sensation among the crowd.

"I sure did." Yui replied "It was huge, bigger than a building. We could easily fit in one of his hands."

"Wow…" She didn't get tired of seeing the amazement on the little girl's face. She reminded her of the first time she meet Haruka back when they both joined the academy. Time sure flies fast she thought.

She was so engrossed recalling things for her companion that she didn't noticed a figure walking towards her as she turned down a corner. Until she bumped into it, that is.

"Oh I am sorry," she quickly apologized as she adjusted her glasses. "I wasn't paying atten-"

"Don't worry about it, people usually don't see me coming." The figure cut her off as he held his hat with his left hand.

Yui took a quick look at him. It was dark so she couldn't see his face clearly, but he looked like a handsome young man. Weirdly, there was something about his eyes that felt oddly familiar.

"I'll be off then." He said, breaking the silence. He nodded at both girls as he passed them, though Yui could swear he raised an eyebrow when he laid his eyes on Momoka-chan.

"Be careful, you don't want to bump into suspicious people at this hour." He remarked as he made his way back the way they came. Yui stared at him; as far as she could remember he wasn't related to any of the students, though there were so many people in the academy today that she could have easily missed someone.

"Yui-san, are you alright?" Momoka-chan looked at her with a questioning look.

"It's nothing, I am just a bit tired." That was partially true. Something about that man had called her eye, but she could just be imagining things.

They continued their walk to the dormitory still chatting about insignificant things. The building was empty as pretty much every single student and their families had gathered for the closing event. It was almost unbelievable that this same place had been in complete chaos a few hours earlier.

Truth to be told, such situations had been part of her life for so long that it almost felt normal.

As they entered the dormitory it didn't take long until they reached her room. She was careful not to make noise, thinking that Haruka was probably still sleeping, so she was quite surprised when she opened the door and saw her friend awake, sitting on her bed and staring at the open window.

She turned on the lights, startling the only occupant of the room as they made their way inside.

"Haruka-chan, you are awake."

"Yui-chan, Momoka-chan, is everything alright?" Leave it to Haruka to be concerned about everyone but herself.

"We should be the ones asking that, sis." Momoka made her way to the bed and sat next to her sister.

"She's got a point, how are you feeling?" She asked as she went to close the window. She could swear it was closed before she left.

"I am feeling alright, just tired. As if I hadn't slept in a couple of days." She yawned, cementing that statement.

"You look happy" Momoka-chan noted. "Did something good happened?"

Haruka looked at both of them before showing them one of her biggest smiles.

"Nothing much, I just feel like there's a weight off my shoulders."

They both looked at her.

Yui could feel something was amiss, she had a sixth sense when it came to her best friend, but she looked happy so she decided to just let it be. For now anyways.

"You know, I am really glad that you are all here." Haruka stated, out of nowhere, much to the bedazzlement of Yui and Momoka.

"Where did that come from?" Momoka-chan asked the question in both of their minds.

"Sorry, I guess sometimes I forget about all the people supporting me. My family, my friends, all the students in Noble Academy, I've only made it this far because everyone has lent me their strength."

Yui couldn't help but to smile at her friend's epiphany. She wasn't sure what had brought this upon, but it was nice to see Haruka realizing what seemed obvious to everyone but her; that they would always be there for her just like she was always there when they needed her.

"Well, as long as you get it its fine." Yui added nonchalantly as she sat on the chair next to the bed.

Suddenly, Momoka sprung out of the bed and headed for the desk, surprising her sister.

"Geez Big sis, you are such a glutton, you ate all of them!" She was definitely upset.

"I ate the what?" There was a look of utter confusion on Haruka's face.

"The dorayaki!" She exclaimed holding out an empty plate that was on the desk. "Dad brought it and we left it here for you. I can't believe you ate it all by yourself."

Haruka looked stunned. She stared at her sister, the empty plate in her hands and the now closed window in quick succession. Yui could almost see the gears inside her head spinning.

"Eeeeeehhhh!?"

They merely stared at her in disbelief.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue – Princess of Flowers

There were plenty of words to describe the student body of Noble Academy, and resilience was definitely one of them. It only took a few days for everything to go back to normal, and after a couple of weeks it was almost as if nothing had happened at the prestigious school.

Well, _almost_ nothing.

People in the neighboring town could not stop talking about the "Miraculous Giant" that came in their time of need and disappeared just as swiftly. Things were no different at the academy but with one big exception; the Giant of light was definitely a favorite topic among the students, but it was also common to hear them talk about the "Princess of Noble Academy" who had once again saved them all.

It amazed Yui that even the first year students had started to refer to Haruka by that name; after they entered their second year, the nickname for her friend spread throughout the school. You could almost say it was a prize for everything she had done to save them from Dys Dark.

At first it was definitely a little weird, but Yui was sure Haruka loved the endearing title she had been given. She never admitted it, but every time they overheard someone using it she could always tell her friend was blushing, regardless of how hard she tried to hide it.

Still, it was a bit hard to get used to the attention they were getting sometimes. It was no secret by now that the Giant had come to their aid thanks to their Student Council President risking it all to save their school, but beyond that the identity of their savior remained a mystery to everyone except Haruno Haruka.

Truth to be told, Yui was quite curious as well, but ever since that day Haruka had barely brought up the subject and even when people asked her about it she just said that he was 'a friend' who had come to save them because 'that's what he does'.

It was unusual for her friend to be so secretive, but that was far from the only enigma in her hands.

That night when she and Momoka-chan stayed with Haruka, Yui couldn't help but to notice that the dagger was missing, and when asked about it, all Haruka said was that 'she had just returned it'. Furthermore, as people were leaving the Academy once the festival had wrapped up, many of them witnessed a ball of light rising from the forest and into the sky. Call it a gut feeling, but those two things where probably related, and after asking around the school Yui could never find out the identity of the stranger they had bumped into that night.

She was sure Haruka knew far more than she was letting on, but Yui didn't want to push the subject. There was no doubt that Haruka would confide in her if needed, so she let it go as things around the academy went back to normal.

One thing still bothered Yui though: Haruka was known for practicing with her violin when the mood struck, but while most people would never realize, every now and then she would start playing a mysterious song that Yui was sure she had never practiced before.

During one of her impromptu practice sessions she casually asked her who had taught her that melody, and her answer was as simple as it was mysterious.

A friend.


End file.
